Broth, Ferries and a Stubborn Umbrella: A Japan Diary

Steam from a bowl of shoyu ramen fogged my glasses at 07:45, and when I wiped them I could just make out the big red lantern of Kaminarimon and, beyond it, Nakamise-dori already doing brisk trade in fans and sweet rice crackers. I’d landed at Tokyo — Haneda Airport (HND) at 06:20, bought a £6 travel card I didn’t need yet, and an umbrella (£3.50) I would need constantly. The umbrella clicks open with the conviction of a small trebuchet. I immediately catch it in a paper lantern. Welcome to Asakusa.

Day 1: Asakusa, Kappabashi and the temple that forgives jet lag

Senso-ji wakes early. By 08:05 the incense is muscle-deep and the Sumida River a grey ribbon 300 m away. I shuffle past the shop selling plastic sampuru prawns on Kappabashi-dori, turn left at the giant chef’s head, and buy a £1.80 coffee that tastes better for being held under a stubborn umbrella that thinks it’s a weather report. A caretaker in navy workwear sweeps the gravel near Hozomon, the broom’s hiss like rain even though the pavement’s dry.

A noodle vendor at the corner of Orange Street and Umamichi-dori serves me a second breakfast, this one a £5.90 bowl. “Two breakfasts?” he asks, eyeing my umbrella’s kinked rib. “Insurance,” I say. He nods; insurance is a universal language. Jet lag doesn’t negotiate.

Decision: ignore the clock and walk to Senso-ji before 08:00; if your feet still work at 11:30, loop 1.2 km to Kuritsu Sumida Park for a quiet bench with a view back to Asakusa Culture and Tourism Center.

• When to go: Dawn light between 06:30–08:30 keeps Nakamise-dori passable and the main hall calm.
• How to get there: Ginza Line to Asakusa (2 stops from Ueno); exits 1–3 land you within 200 m of Kaminarimon.
• Value tip: Skip ¥ cash traps; buy temple sweets by weight—£2 buys enough for 2–3 tea breaks.

Micro-areas by feel: Shibuya, Cat Street and Shimokitazawa

At 08:15 Shibuya Crossing is civilised, which is to say under 200 people and only 3 wedding photos in progress. Center Gai smells faintly of last night’s karaage, so I take the back way: Cat Street to Omotesando, then 900 m to Aoyama Cemetery where the crows hold committee. By 10:10 I’m in Daikanyama T-Site pretending not to be impressed by a bookshop that looks like it moisturises. The Inokashira Line takes 7 minutes to Shimokitazawa; everything is vintage or about to be.

I ask the barista at Bear Pond Espresso if my umbrella can sit by the door like a damp dog. “Of course,” she says, handing me a £3.20 flat white and directions to the Bonus Track alley where lunch is a £6 bento and the soundtrack is bicycles. The map on the wall is hand-drawn, washed with tea. I consider borrowing it, then remember how the last thing I borrowed became mine for three countries.

Decision: don’t “do Shibuya” at noon; go early, then walk Cat Street to Omotesando and train the 2 stops to calmer Shimokitazawa for lunch.

• When to go: Midweek mornings (Tue–Thu) before 11:00 keep Cat Street browsable and cafés seated.
• How to get there: JR Yamanote to Shibuya; then Meiji-dori to Cat Street; Keio Inokashira Line to Shimokitazawa (7–10 min).
• Value tip: Pick one sit-down coffee (£3–£4) and one conbini can of boss-level iced coffee (£1.10) for the walk.

Kyoto before the coaches: torii, tofu and a caretaker with twine

I reach Fushimi Inari-taisha at 06:05, when the torii are still waking and the vending machines hum like monks with small batteries. A caretaker in white gloves ties my umbrella’s flapping rib with brown twine and a smile that says he’s done this before, probably for centuries. Two fox statues look unconvinced. The climb to Yotsutsuji takes 35 minutes at a wheeze; the city at 2 km distance looks as if it could be tidied by one large broom.

By 09:40 I’m on the 206 bus to Kiyomizu-dera, watching the conductor bow to the road at every stop. At Nishiki Market, a woman at Aritsugu sharpens a chef’s knife with a noise like rain on tin, and I eat a £1.50 tofu doughnut because it’s legally required. Gion’s Hanamikoji-dori is a narrow stage, so I cross to Shirakawa-minami-dori where the camphor trees are less theatrical.

Decision: start at Fushimi Inari before 06:30, then hop to Kiyomizu-dera by 10:00; save Gion for after 19:00 when lanterns do the heavy lifting.

• When to go: Shoulder months—May or October—deliver 18–23°C and thinner crowds on weekdays.
• How to get there: JR Nara Line to Inari (5 min from Kyoto Station); bus 206 to Kiyomizu-michi (10–15 min).
• Value tip: Day-pass buses pay off if you ride ≥3 times; otherwise both legs are under £2 each.

Diesel and deer: Hiroshima to Miyajima

Hiroshima’s Peace Memorial Park at 08:00 is soft-spoken. The tram trundles to Hiroshima Station, where the JR Sanyō Line takes 28 minutes to Miyajimaguchi. On the pier a man in a blue cap guides a pram and a bicycle into place with one hand and wafts diesel with the other; our ferry crosses to Itsukushima in 10 minutes flat. The torii is mid-tide at 13:20, wearing the sea like rolled-up trousers.

On Omotesando I buy an oyster skewer for £2.80 and watch a deer unzip a tourist’s backpack with the professionalism of a locksmith. The ropeway up to Mt Misen posts a 20-minute wait by 11:30; I take the Momijidani trail instead (2.5 km, 50 minutes, many stairs). At the shrine a priest straightens my umbrella’s twine fix and tells me the wind comes from the west today, as if that explains the island’s mood. It does.

Decision: book the second ferry out (08:25) and plan to walk up, down by ropeway after 15:00 when lines ease.

• When to go: Late afternoon for reflections at high tide; mornings for deer with fewer picnic ambitions.
• How to get there: Hiroshima → Miyajimaguchi (28 min), ferry to Miyajima (10 min). Prime 09:00–10:00 sailings sell first.
• Value tip: JR Pass covers the JR ferry; otherwise returns run about £3.50—still worth it for the view alone.

Osaka is hungry: Dōtonbori, Kuromon and a tower with an opinion

Dōtonbori at 19:10 is a neon river with chopsticks. Under Ebisubashi the takoyaki stand sells 6 balls for £3.20; the vendor flips them like a drummer at the end of a gig. I walk 1.8 km to Shinsekai, where Tsūtenkaku peers down like a stern uncle. A kushikatsu place on Janjan Yokocho invites my umbrella to drip in the entry tray and my stomach to do squats; £7 gets a set that understands oil intimately.

At Kuromon Ichiba the next morning (10:00) a fisherman addresses a tuna with a knife longer than my forearm and prices longer than my budget. A bus conductor on the 75 to Namba surfaces every stop with a melodic announcement; his hat is crease-perfect at 24.5 degrees, give or take. Kids will like the pufferfish lanterns; couples can escape to Hozenji Yokocho where the mossy Fudō-myōō statue accepts a ladle of water and secrets.

Decision: go Tuesday night not Saturday, and eat standing up; you’ll cover 3 bites in 45 minutes instead of guarding a chair for 90.

• When to go: Evenings 18:30–21:00 for the lights; mornings 09:30–11:30 for Kuromon’s working rhythm.
• How to get there: Midosuji Line to Namba; walk 600 m to Dōtonbori; Hankai tram puts Shinsekai within 15 minutes.
• Value tip: Share portions; two stalls one sit-down keeps spend under £15 and variety high.

A weather window named Hakone

Hakone is a loop with moods. The Odakyu “Romancecar” from Shinjuku reaches Hakone-Yumoto in about 85 minutes; the rattling Hakone Tozan Railway climbs to Gora in 40, switching back like a thoughtful goat. The ropeway over Ōwakudani smells of sulphur and ambition; it occasionally closes when the crater sulks. Lake Ashi obliges with a faux-pirate ship from Tōgendai to Motohakone in 30 minutes flat.

I buy a £2 black egg I don’t need and an £8 onsen pass I very much do. The umbrella complains about steam then relaxes on a shelf like a retired sword. The old Tōkaidō paving between Hatajuku and Hakone Checkpoint is steep and slippery; prams are happier on the boardwalk by Onshi Park, where the view towards Fuji is 14 km of maybe.

Decision: buy the Hakone Freepass if you’ll do ≥4 legs; start counter-clockwise from Gora to hit Lake Ashi around 15:45 for calmer decks.

• When to go: Clear winter days (Dec–Feb) for Fuji views; otherwise mornings after 09:30 when fog burns off.
• How to get there: Odakyu from Shinjuku → Hakone-Yumoto (85 min), Tozan to Gora (40), ropeway to Tōgendai (18), boat to Motohakone (30).
• Value tip: The 2–3 day Freepass (~£32–£40) beats piecemeal tickets if you loop plus an onsen detour.

Rain-plan Kanazawa: museums, markets and an umbrella truce

Kanazawa is prepared for rain the way British people are prepared for other people’s feelings. At 09:30 the 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art opens like a spaceship, and by 10:15 I’ve made peace with my reflection in a circular pool. Omichō Market at 11:00 is all scallops and opinions; £5 gets a tray of grilled things on skewers and a chair with one short leg.

Kenrokuen after a shower is 100 shades of green and 2 of smug. I time it for 16:30 when tour groups are packing umbrellas like parachutes. Higashi Chaya-gai glows even in drizzle, and a tea house on Shimoshincho pours a £2.40 matcha that tastes like the colour green remembered. The umbrella stops being stubborn and starts being useful. Progress.

Decision: swap the garden for late afternoon if it rains before lunch; do the museum first and arrive at Kenrokuen when puddles have calmed.

• When to go: Wet days are fine—Kanazawa’s covered streets save you; winter illuminations after 17:00 are discreet and good.
• How to get there: Hokuriku Shinkansen from Tokyo (2 h 30); Kanazawa Loop Bus drops you at both the museum and Kenrokuen.
• Value tip: Combined museum/garden tickets are a few pounds cheaper; check the small board by the main gate.

Nara’s two hours: deer for kids, quiet for grown-ups

From Osaka-Namba the Kintetsu rapid gets to Kintetsu-Nara in about 40 minutes. Todaiji’s Daibutsu is 15 m of bronze calm and 1,200 years of posture; the hall swallows sound like a trick. Kids go straight for deer crackers near Nandaimon (£1.20 a stack), and the deer go straight for pockets. Grown-ups slip to Isuien Garden where the borrowed scenery makes the pagoda feel on loan.

A volunteer guide named Sato draws a map on my programme with a pencil that squeaks at 3 kHz and shows me where Sarusawa Pond mirrors Kōfuku-ji’s five-storey pagoda at 17:20. We talk about umbrellas. He says mine has character; I say that’s what you say when a thing leaks.

Decision: give Nara a precise window: 10:00–13:00 for families (deer energy peaks), 16:00–18:00 for couples (garden light softens).

• When to go: Late afternoon shoulder seasons (Apr, Nov) hit 16–20°C and gentler crowds near the gardens.
• How to get there: Kintetsu rapid from Osaka-Namba (≈40 min) or JR from Osaka Station (45–55 min).
• Value tip: Skip the “all-area” tickets; pay individual entries—Todaiji (~£4) Isuien (~£6) fit a short visit.

Golden hour, small train: Kamakura’s Enoden and Hasedera

Kamakura is what happens when a beach town forgets it’s meant to be lazy. The Enoden from Kamakura to Hase takes 5 minutes; I ride the 16:12 because the light lowers its voice by 16:40. Hasedera’s terrace looks over Yuigahama Beach at 1.4 km; Kotoku-in’s Great Buddha sits 2 m taller than memory. On Komachi-dori a man sells taiyaki for £1.90 and refuses my attempt to tip with all the dignity of a man refusing a potato.

A temple attendant sees my umbrella’s twine repair and disappears. He returns with a tiny twist of copper wire, sets the rib right in 30 seconds, and bows as if fixing strangers’ weather is a daily hobby. The umbrella opens quietly at last. I consider crying over an object. Then I take a photo and pretend I have dust in my eye.

Decision: catch the 16:12 Enoden, do Hasedera first, then loop to Kotoku-in by 17:10 for even, low light.

• When to go: Winter golden hours (15:45–17:00) are long and clear; hydrangea weeks in June are busy but photogenic.
• How to get there: JR Yokosuka Line Tokyo → Kamakura (55–65 min); Enoden to Hase (5 min); 800 m walk to Hasedera terrace.
• Value tip: Buy a ¥ day-pass only if you’ll ride the Enoden ≥3 times; otherwise singles total under £5.